McHugh nets first goals as m. soccer beats Dartmouth

Every sport has two kinds of stars. One kind is the consistent producer who puts up big numbers all season long and wows the crowd with amazing plays no matter the opponent or game situation. Then there are those stars who quietly sit back most of the time, waiting until the moments that matter most. And then, just when a big play is needed, the hero comes through in the clutch.

This weekend in Hanover, N.H., the large crowd at Dartmouth's Chase Field may have witnessed the birth of the second kind of star. Most of the fans in attendance came out to support the Big Green men's soccer team, ranked 25th in the nation and opening its Ivy League schedule against hated rival Princeton. But, unfortunately for the fans, at game's end the hero wore the Orange and Black.

Freshman Kyle McHugh had the game of his life on Sunday, scoring two huge goals in the game's waning minutes, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Big Green. Dartmouth's fans, only minutes earlier sparked to loud cheers by a last second game-tying goal in the 89th minute, could only shake their heads in disappointment as the Tigers celebrated their unlikely victory.

McHugh's performance couldn't have come at a better time, as Sunday's game was the Ivy League opener for both teams. Dartmouth came into the game the slight favorite, with a 4-1-2 record to Princeton's 2-2-2. But Princeton head coach Jim Barlow '91 refused to let his team be intimidated or consider itself the underdog.

"There are no upsets in our league," Barlow said after Sunday's game. "We always know going in that it's going to be an even game and both teams are going to have chances."

The Tigers proved Barlow right with their performance against the Big Green. Princeton was playing on the road, got behind early and blew a late-game lead, but the team refused to give in and earned the win.

Dartmouth drew the first blood when Rob Daly, the Ivy League's leading scorer with eight goals and 16 points in the young season, blew a 12-yard strike by junior goalkeeper Erik White in the 13th minute.

The Big Green couldn't hold its early lead, and the Tigers got the equalizer on a free kick in the 30th minute. Senior defender Jeff Hare, always dangerous in the air, got his head on the ball and beat Dartmouth's goalkeeper to knot the game at one.

After Hare's goal, the two teams remained deadlocked for the next 50 minutes of play. Each team had several chances to take the lead, but the defenses held and the score stood at 1-1 for most of the second half.

"It was a pretty typical Ivy League game," Barlow said. "There were stretches where we controlled the game and stretches where they controlled the game, until we took the lead with eight minutes to go."

It was McHugh who finally broke the tie, scoring the first goal of his collegiate career in the 82nd minute. The goal seemed like it would be the game-winner, as Princeton simply needed to run the clock down to preserve the victory.

But Dartmouth wasn't finished just yet. With just over a minute to go in the game, the Big Green's Oliver Harker-Smith sent the game into overtime with his first goal of the season. Harker-Smith's timely score shocked the Tigers, who saw a win disappear before their eyes. The goal also sparked the crowd, whose silence turned to a roar as the game went into overtime.

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"At that point, they had all the momentum, the crowd was going and everything," Barlow said. "But we held on in overtime anyway and put one away for the win."

The hero, of course, was McHugh. Dartmouth dominated the beginning of overtime, racking up six shots before Princeton took one. But when the Tigers finally did get a shot, McHugh was there to clean up the rebound, and he stuffed it home to give Princeton a dramatic victory.

"When I scored the goal to put us up 2-1, I thought the game was over," an excited McHugh said after the game. "But they scored [to send it to overtime] and that gave them all the momentum. But we came out with a lot of heart and I was just in the right place on a rebound and put away a good opportunity."